Kind of related...I am getting sick of administrators thinking of universities as businesses that are judged by amount of revenue. They bleed students for every cent they think they can afford and whenever they come into some financial windfall (e.g. huge endowment), very little of it is actually used to ease the financial burden of the typical student. Two things have outpaced the rate of inflation the past 30 years.....1) the cost of a college degree and 2) the average salary of senior administrators at colleges and universities.

If the state cuts the ADA (money schools get for student attendance), how will the school pay to transport the student? If the school spends its resources on transporting the other students, how can they properly provide for the continuing students? Why not just blow it up? Clean slate, start over.

Pumpernickel bread:Kind of related...I am getting sick of administrators thinking of universities as businesses that are judged by amount of revenue. They bleed students for every cent they think they can afford and whenever they come into some financial windfall (e.g. huge endowment), very little of it is actually used to ease the financial burden of the typical student. Two things have outpaced the rate of inflation the past 30 years.....1) the cost of a college degree and 2) the average salary of senior administrators at colleges and universities.

Salary? The size of the administration has also doubled. Yet students aren't seeing any benefit in increased administration size.

jst3p:Can someone summarize TFA? What is an unaccredited school district?

One that has failed so many students for so long that it can no longer be accredited, yet because children must still go to school and nobody has been willing or able to bus them somewhere with an accredited school district it is still in operation. Usually these unaccredited school districts have been taken over by the state and see a series of state guys trying to reform and bring back standards to the school district, but fail year after year for decades.

I'm not sure bussing these kids is going to do anything, but cause other school districts to fail. It is one of the reasons I'm in favor of a new amendment to the US constitutions nationalizing public education. Remove the states, local property and local interests from the dam schools. The only thing they have proven to do is time and again fail the kids. Common core nationally, with per student federal funds and no local taxes. Equalize every public school district.

jst3p:Can someone summarize TFA? What is an unaccredited school district?

Every school and district in the nation goes through accreditation, which is like licensing. There is a review process to ensure that schools have and strive toward educational goals, community and culture goals, etc. This is done through review of mission statements, in-class observation, and articulation documents.

It takes repeated failures to end up unaccredited. Normally, the accrediting organization (WASC in California, not sure about MO) grants a successful school a "license" that lasts from 3-6 years, with a review due at the end of that period to renew. Less successful schools will be directed by the committee to make prescribed changes, and the time frame is lessened between reviews.

Slaves2Darkness:jst3p: Can someone summarize TFA? What is an unaccredited school district?

One that has failed so many students for so long that it can no longer be accredited, yet because children must still go to school and nobody has been willing or able to bus them somewhere with an accredited school district it is still in operation. Usually these unaccredited school districts have been taken over by the state and see a series of state guys trying to reform and bring back standards to the school district, but fail year after year for decades.

I'm not sure bussing these kids is going to do anything, but cause other school districts to fail. It is one of the reasons I'm in favor of a new amendment to the US constitutions nationalizing public education. Remove the states, local property and local interests from the dam schools. The only thing they have proven to do is time and again fail the kids. Common core nationally, with per student federal funds and no local taxes. Equalize every public school district.

Thank you. I guess that just leaves me wondering:

"Why don't their parents just move to a better neighborhood with better schools?"

Slaves2Darkness:jst3p: Can someone summarize TFA? What is an unaccredited school district?

One that has failed so many students for so long that it can no longer be accredited, yet because children must still go to school and nobody has been willing or able to bus them somewhere with an accredited school district it is still in operation. Usually these unaccredited school districts have been taken over by the state and see a series of state guys trying to reform and bring back standards to the school district, but fail year after year for decades.

I'm not sure bussing these kids is going to do anything, but cause other school districts to fail. It is one of the reasons I'm in favor of a new amendment to the US constitutions nationalizing public education. Remove the states, local property and local interests from the dam schools. The only thing they have proven to do is time and again fail the kids. Common core nationally, with per student federal funds and no local taxes. Equalize every public school district.

You know what I'd like to see? No local schools you're assigned to. You apply to schools in your city and then, instead of paying for a bunch of school buses to run around for the kids who live too far to walk, just fund public transportation that kids and adults alike can ride.

I honestly do not understand why your school should be determined when you purchase your house. What if your kids grow up to really like music and the school with the great music program is across town? Guess you have to move. It doesn't make any sense.

Skirl Hutsenreiter:I honestly do not understand why your school should be determined when you purchase your house. What if your kids grow up to really like music and the school with the great music program is across town? Guess you have to move. It doesn't make any sense.

...because of the aforementioned transportation costs. If you can have 100 kids going to schools very near their homes, that's going to be cheaper than paying for 60 of those kids to be bussed further to go to another school. It also takes less time for them to get to school, which is generally preferable.

stevarooni:Skirl Hutsenreiter: I honestly do not understand why your school should be determined when you purchase your house. What if your kids grow up to really like music and the school with the great music program is across town? Guess you have to move. It doesn't make any sense.

...because of the aforementioned transportation costs. If you can have 100 kids going to schools very near their homes, that's going to be cheaper than paying for 60 of those kids to be bussed further to go to another school. It also takes less time for them to get to school, which is generally preferable.

But in my scenario, everyone who doesn't qualify for a benefit like reduced lunch would have to pay the same for bus transportation as an adult. The added volume should make the system more sustainable than it is currently most places.

And as to time - that's just one of the factors a family will have to weigh when picking a school.

Skirl Hutsenreiter:Slaves2Darkness: jst3p: Can someone summarize TFA? What is an unaccredited school district?

One that has failed so many students for so long that it can no longer be accredited, yet because children must still go to school and nobody has been willing or able to bus them somewhere with an accredited school district it is still in operation. Usually these unaccredited school districts have been taken over by the state and see a series of state guys trying to reform and bring back standards to the school district, but fail year after year for decades.

I'm not sure bussing these kids is going to do anything, but cause other school districts to fail. It is one of the reasons I'm in favor of a new amendment to the US constitutions nationalizing public education. Remove the states, local property and local interests from the dam schools. The only thing they have proven to do is time and again fail the kids. Common core nationally, with per student federal funds and no local taxes. Equalize every public school district.

You know what I'd like to see? No local schools you're assigned to. You apply to schools in your city and then, instead of paying for a bunch of school buses to run around for the kids who live too far to walk, just fund public transportation that kids and adults alike can ride.

I honestly do not understand why your school should be determined when you purchase your house. What if your kids grow up to really like music and the school with the great music program is across town? Guess you have to move. It doesn't make any sense.

Here's my response to the "school choice" people, who never have an answer for this. You have a city with 10 schools. Students/parents can choose whichever one they want to go to. When half the population chooses the one perceived as "best" (test scores, football champions, whatever), how do you decide which 20% of those applicants get in? And what happens to the other 80%?

That's sound logic. Gee, this school district sucks - the kids can't pass any tests. Let's bus all these kids elsewhere so they can do well. Next year... Gee the school where we moved all these kids have lower average test scores. Let's reduce their funding for not meeting our standards. That'll show 'em.

shroom:When half the population chooses the one perceived as "best" (test scores, football champions, whatever), how do you decide which 20% of those applicants get in? And what happens to the other 80%?

They have a staggered draft process, with students assigned a position based on grades, extracurriculars, and how well they know the School Administrator. :D